I.

"Looks like your cooling system is in tip-top shape, Motherboard!" Digit cried, excitedly circling the lobby of Control Central. Whether it was a healthy concern for her wellbeing or the result of a paralyzing anxiety, their daily inspections always gave Digit the jitters. Ever since Hacker had infected her with the virus, Digit had been on top of tune ups and meticulously kept track of her numbers. He landed underneath the giant monitor and picked up a pencil.

"Your cyroxide pressure is 120 over 80," he said, jointing the number down in a notepad the way Doc had taught him. It had been months since he'd seen or heard from Motherboard's head technician who had left him to hold down the fort while he traveled to the far reaches of the cyberuniverse, looking for a new way to cure Motherboard now that the encryptor chip was gone for good. Before he'd left, he'd instructed Digit on all the basics of Motherboard's day to day maintenance. It used to be there was a small team of technicians that would come fill in when things got busy or the Doc was needed elsewhere, but those days were long gone, and only a very select few were even allowed to step foot in Control Central.

"Time to close the hatch." The cyboid hopped over to the exposed machines and picked up the lid. He pointed his beak at one of the bolts, but instead of a screwdriver, it transformed into drill. "Yoiks!" He leapt, quickly pointing his spinning beak away before it damaged any of Motherboard's circuits. He held it in his wing until it stopped moving, then tried to force it manually.

"Digit? Are you... alright?"

"Never been better!" the cyboid cried as his peak turned into a fork. "That's not it..."

The leader of cyberspace eyed him with maternal affection broken by periodic bouts of static. She'd had always had a soft spot for the little cyboid, and their friendship had only grown now that they just had each other for company. She was protective of him, as much as she could be having no physical body. "I'll send... a message... for Dr. Marbles to return... as soon as possible."

"What? I'm fine. See?" Digit said, showing off his disfigured appendage. He seemed to realize his act was unconvincing and continued trying to twist it back into shape. "There's no reason to get the Doc all worked up over me." The sound of Motherboard's message sent alert told him she'd disregarded his protests.

He furrowed his brow, embarrassed to have caused the trouble. When the Doc had left, Digit had promised himself to do everything perfectly so the technician could focus on his mission. Now he'd have to put things on hold. "I guess we gotta look out for each other now that it's just us, eh?" he chuckled. Despite his reluctance, Digit's beak had been acting up more than usual lately. Maybe it wouldn't be a terrible idea to have the Doc look it over.

It wasn't as if he thought lowly of himself, far from it in fact. But he was an honest boid who could acknowledge he was far from a perfect piece of hardware. The borg who had created him had been far from perfect too. A younger Hacker who had been sloppy with his work at the best of times according to Dr. Marbles. And it didn't seemed like he'd changed much with age. The Doc had made some attempt to improve Digit's functions over the years, but the changes he was able to make were limited without complete systems knowledge. That knowledge unfortunately existed only with Hacker.

"Thanks, Motherb-b-ba, M-motherboard," the cyboid stuttered without seeming to register it. There was a pause as Motherboard's concern heightened. She watched as Digit look at the cooling unit and set the lid back down. "120 over 80. Looking good as usual."

"Are you... sure you're feeling alright?"

"Never better," the boid said as he went to jot down the number again. He stared at the notebook and his brow knotted in confusion. "That can't be right." He stared at the note he'd made earlier, trying to put the pieces together before Motherboard interrupted him.

"Digit. I think it would be best... if you powered down... until Dr. Marbles returns."

Digit shuffled his wings together nervously, shutting the notebook. "No. I'm okay, really," he tried to assure her. Anything but having to shut down. What if something happened to Motherboard while he was in stasis? "Maybe I'll just go sit for a while." He adjusted his hat, trying to appear dignified as possible. "Tomorrow I'll be as good as new!"

II.

Jackie gave the pyramid shaped container a pat. Though she recognized him by his chest hatch, was hard to think of the inanimate box on the ground as the lovable cyboid when the rest of his usual features weren't present. Motherboard had summoned the three of them shortly after Digit went into stasis. It was the first time she'd done so in the evening hours, catching Jackie just as she'd finished doing the dishes. Though a bit sleepy, she was more than happy to be there for a friend in need. A glance at her two companions told her they were finding it all as hard to swallow as she was. Digit's head, legs, wings and even the propeller on his tail had withdrawn, leaving behind the chest compartment which only held what one would expect to find in a toolbox. Inez was sat beside her while Matt was leaning against one of the machines.

"If we waited for Dr. Marbles to get back, would he be able to fix him?" he asked.

"Might be... too late..." Motherboard replied, through a static cloud. "Malfunction... not normal." The three kids glanced at each other, each engaged in their own nervous quirks. Inez adjusting her glasses, Matt playing with his yo-yo and Jackie rubbing her nails to avoid biting them. She felt Inez's hand quickly brush against her's as she reached for Digit, stroking him gently with her fingers as if petting a cat.

"What do you mean, Mother B?" Jackie said, breaking the silence.

"Data decay... data decaying fast. If not fixed soon... damage will be great."

"But that means he'll lose his memories. Forget you, forget all of us!" she cried, becoming animated. "Forget how to be... Digit!"

"There has to be something we can do," Inez said, her arms folded fearfully over her chest. "Isn't there another technician or mechanic in Cyberspace who will know how to fix him?"

"Digit can only be fixed... the one who... created him."

"You don't mean," Matt shuddered.

"Hacker."

Jackie felt a hardened pit forming in her throat. She swallowed but it wouldn't go away. Hacker? He was their only hope of curing Digit? If Hacker ever got his hands on Digit— She stopped herself from verbalizing the thought, even inside her own head. Digit had told them his history with Hacker and how the villain still seemed to actively resent being betrayed.

"No way. If Hacker does anything it'll be make things worse," Matt declared. "I wouldn't trust him in a million years."

"We should bring him to Coop," Inez suggested. "Didn't he and Hacker used to work together? He has to know something about Digit's systems. Right, Motherboard?"

"Worth... a try." They could see she had been as reluctant about going to her old enemy for help as the rest of them. The suggestion seemed to cause her to ponder.

"Good idea, Inez," Matt nodded. "We can take the coupe." He put away his yo-yo and got down on his knees. Jackie rushed to help him and the two heaved Digit up into their arms. "Never realized he was so heavy," Matt chuckled, balancing the boid on one knee. They carried Digit into the hangar and set him down in the backseat. Jackie got in to drive while Inez clutched Digit in her lap, putting the seatbelt around both of them.

"Portal us through to Radopolis, Motherboard."